**2. History**

Dupuytren's disease is a condition of the hand with a unique history. Its origin is linked to the Viking population and likely spread throughout Northern Europe as the Vikings conquered and acquired lands in the ninth through thirteenth century. For this reason, it has since been given the colloquial name, "Viking disease." The Viking's 300-year conquest lead to many settlements in which their descendants lived and bred with native populations, leading to the spread of Dupuytren's disease to many northern European nationalities [1, 2]. Naturally, as time progressed and more conquests occurred, the disease spread to the shores of North America, and is now found throughout the world.

Early evidence of diseases mimicking Dupuytren's has been noted in historical texts. The "Curse of the MacCrimmons" is a tale of seventeenth century Scotland in which Clan MacCrimmons was cursed with a "bent finger," leaving them unable to play their bagpipes [2, 3]. The Catholic Church sign of benediction has even been postulated to depict an early church priest with Dupuytren's disease [2, 4]. Whaley and Elliot describe early Icelandic stories of the twelfth and thirteenth century possibly describing accounts of Dupuytren's disease dating back to the ninth century and include the treatment of one case by a procedure resembling a palmar fasciotomy [5].

In 1831, the French surgeon and namesake to the disease Baron Guillaume Dupuytren gave a lecture on the "permanent retractions of the flexed fingers" [6]. Other surgeons have also been credited with describing conditions believed to be caused by Dupuytren's disease, including: Felix Platter in 1680, Henry Cline, Jr. in 1808, and Sir Astley Cooper in 1818 [2]. Elliot discusses a "Cline's contracture" as an earlier description of Dupuytren's disease [7]. MacFarlane reports Platter may have been the first to publish a description of Dupuytren's disease as early as 1614 [2]. Despite possible earlier accounts, Dupuytren maintains the namesake of the disease to this day. Dupuytren finished his career as chief surgeon at the Hôtel de Dieu in Paris, and his name appears in at least 12 other diseases and instruments, cementing his legacy in the medical field [1].

Dupuytren's disease is often considered a "disease of the north," in to its northern European origins. Various studies into the prevalence of Dupuytren's disease demonstrate its northern roots, showing Norway, Scotland, and Iceland with some of the highest prevalence when compared to more southern nations [8–10]. Today, Dupuytren's disease can be seen in all types of patients; however, there are specific subsets of the population at in increased risk of developing the disease.
